Mond city mill works



(No Modem 2 sheets-sheet 1.

' G. F. WALTERS.

FLOUR PAGKBR. No. 418,480. Patented Deo. 31, 1889..

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Witnesses 1 Inventor Attorney (No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 2.

C. P. WALTERS. FLOUR PAGKBR.

110.418,480. Patented Deo. 31, 1889.

Wtnees: @iva/JM qw Invent-0r 0 @f1/Miri W 10W-w 'YY' 5W Attorney l zo Patent will b'e hereinafter referred to as W'al- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. lVALTERS, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO TIIERICH- MOND CITY MILL WORKS, OF SAME PLACE.

FLOUR-PACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of `Letters Patent No. 418,480, dated December 31, 1889.

Application iiled April 29, 1889. Serial No. 308,945. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. VALTERS, of Richmond, lVayne county, Indiana, have invent-ed certain new and useful Improve- 5 ments in Flour-Packers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to machines employed in packing' flour intobarrels, sacks, and so forth.

.I une 19, 1883, United States Letters Patent No. 279,678were granted to the Richmond City Mill Vorks, on my application, for certain improvements in flourpackers, which Letters Patent Will be' hereinafter referred to as Walterss patent A5 and J une 16, 1885, United States Letters Patent No. 320,419 were granted to the Richmond City Mill W'orks, on my application, for certain improvements in flour-packers, which Letters terss patent 13. These two patents constitute elements in the prior state of the art, and the reader of this specification is presumed to be familiar with these two patents, which illustrate a general type of hour-packer, to which my present improvements are applicable.'

My present improvements will be readily understood from the following description, 3o taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichi Figure 1 is a perspective view of a flourpacker embodying my improvement-s; Fig. 2, a side View of a portion thereof in the general neighborhood of the resistance-wheel, a portion of the resistance-wheel being broken away to exhibit the friction-jaws behind it; Fig. 3, a front elevation of a portion of the framing of the machine, exhibiting the Winding-shaft and its spools and the resistancewheel; and Fig. 4, a diametrical section of the resistance-wheel in the plane of line a of Fig. 2, portions of the framing-uprights appearing in section in plane of line b of Fig. 45 2. Fig. 4 is upon an enlarged scale; and Fig. 5, a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the friction-arcs and adjacent part-s, the frictionrim of the resistance-wheel appearing in vertical section.

In the drawings, A indicates the usual upright framing, furnishing supports for the C, the usual packing-tube disposed vertically over the platform, and adapted to be con- Inected with the source of supply of flour, and 66 to deliver such flour to the barrel or sack; D,

the usual winding-shaft journaled in the framing above the platform, and connected to the platform by chains which wind up upon the'shaft as the platform rises, and unwind 65 therefrom as the platform descends; l, the usual reel fixed upon the winding-shaft to receive the rope or Vchain of the counterbalanceweight; F, the rope o1' chain wound on this spool and adapted to have the usual 7o counterbalance-weight secured at its lower end; G, the usual chains to be attached at their lower ends to the platform, and having their upper ends secured to the winding-shaft, so as to be wound upon the winding-shaft; 7L; H, the spools on the winding-shaft on which t-hese chains wind, these spools having faces of a width corresponding, substantially, with the width of the chain, so that the chains are compelled to wind upon the spools in the 8o form of volute coils; .La resistance-wheel in the form of a hand-wheel made fast to the winding-shaft; K, a smoothly-bored frictionrim forming a large hub for the resistancel wheel, the smoothly-bored interior of this 8 5 friction-rim being concentric with the windin g-shaft; L, a plate secured against the framing and forming one of the bearings for the winding-shaft, the outer face of this plate standing but a short distance from the inner 9cV edge of the friction-rim; M, three frictionarcs whose peripheries correspond with the bore of the friction-rim, one end of each of these arcs being pivoted to the plate L, while the other end of each arc has a toe project- 95 ing inwardly, tangent to the winding-shaft; N, a sleeve very loosely mounted on the winding-shaft within the friction-rim and provided with three radially-facing wings, each of the wings being engaged by the toe of a fricroo tion-arc; O, a lever rigidly united to this winged sleeve and projecting radially to the rear from the sleeve between the inner edge of the friction-rim and the outer face of the plate L; P, a horizontal lever pivoted to the framing below the resistance-wheel; Q, a connection reaching from the lever O to the lever P; R, a hand-lever pivoted to the framing below the lever P; S, a spring-case pivoted to this lever; T, an adjustable link or connection reaching from the hand-lever R upward toward the lever P; U, a link secured to the leverP and engaged by the connection T; V, a hand-screw for clamping the link U to the lever P in adj usted posit-ion of downward projection; W, set-screws through lugs projecting outwardly from the face of the plate L, the point of each of these screws engaging alug upon the appropriate one of the friction-arcs, these set-screws engaging. the innersurface of such lugs, so as to limit the inner pivotal movement of the friction-arcs; X, compression-springs engaging the outer face of lugs on the friction-arcs and abutting in lugs projecting outwardly from the outer face of the plate L, these springs tending to press the friction-arcs inwardly; and Y, the usual auger-shaft.

The general operation of this machine and the construction of details (not herein specifically referred to) may be the same as in VValterss patents A and 13.

The usual counterbalance-weight attached to the rope F is to be of such weight as to balance or overbalance the platform when a barrel is on the platform; hence, when a barrel is on the platform, under the packingtube, and left free, the platform will automatic/ally rise until the packing-tube projects down into and to or near to the bottom of the barrel. By turning the resistance handwheel J the winding-shaft may be turned and the chains G unwound and the platform with the barrel moved to its downward position, if, for any reason, it should be desired to remove t-he empty barrel before packing. The barrel being upon the platform and in its highest position up around the packing-tube, the auger is started in the usual manner, and the flour flows to the lower end of the packing-tube and is pressed into the barrel by the action of the auger. The effect of the compression of the flour in the bottom of the barrel is to cause the barrel to descend, and when the barrel has descended to a position corresponding with a proper degree of fullness the auger and the flow is stopped in the usual manner and by the usual means. The barrel may be still farther lowered by the hand-wheel, if necessary or desired, and it may then be removed and a newbarrel placed in position.

The quantity of flour which is packed into the barrel is regulated to a great extent by the degree of resistance offered to the downward movement of the platform, and this resistance must be regulated to suit the degree of compactness desired in the packing. This resistance. is provided for by frictionally retarding the rotation of the winding-shaft. The friction-arcs M, whose peripheries are preferably faced with leather, have their peripheries fitting fairly against the inner surface of fhefriction-rim. The springs X press these arcs away from contact with the friction-rim, leaving the friction-rim entirely free from the influence of the friction-arcs. The set-screws WV serve to limit the inner movement of the friction-arcs and to adjust the ylimit of that motion.

rPhe presence of these screws or some equivalent stops is .recommended, but is not at all essential. The toes of the friction-arcs bear against the faces of the wings on the sleeve N, and consequently, if this sleeve be rotated by a downward motion of the lever O, all of the friction-arcs will be forced outwardly into powerful contact with the bore of the friction-rim. This frictional contact between the friction-arcs and the friction-rim will serve to lock the resistance wheel,- and consequently the windingshaft against rotation, or, rather, to resist rotation. It isto be remembered that the friction-rim is fast on the winding-shaft, and that the friction-arcs are secured to the stationary plate L. The sleeve Nis entirely free from all contact with the winding-shaft, and consequently is at liberty to take a compromising position, and thus equalize the outward pressure of the three friction-arcs.

The arrangement of levers P and R and spring-case S and the connections between the two levers are the same as in l/Valterss patent 13. When the lever R is turned down in the position indicated in Fig. 2, the lever O is pulled downwardly and held down and the friction-arcs are in frictional engagement with the friction-rim. In this condition the rot-ation of the winding-shaft is resisted. "When the handle R is turned up, then the lever O is elevated and the frictionarcs released from the pressure, and the winding-shaft is free to turn. lVhen the platform is up and the packing operation begins, the friction-arcs are put into-frictional engagement with the friction-rim, and the platform..

can only descend by reason of the compression of flour producing a downward effect in excess of the resistance given to the motion of the winding -shaft. Vhen a new and empty barrel is set in position, the friction'- arcs are relieved from action by turning the handle R up, and the platform is then at liberty to rise.

When the empty barrel is clearup and the packing just started, the descending power is represented by the weight of the platform plus the weight of the barrel plus the compressive action of the auger. The resistance to the descent is represented by the counterbalance-weight plus the resistance due to the friction-arcs. The tightness with which the flour is packed into the barrel will therefore be represented by the preponderance of the resistance over the descending power; but when the barrel is about half-way down it IOO IOS

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will contain abouta hundred pounds of flour, and this becomes an addition to the descending power. It would follow, in the absence of special provision against it, that 4each pound of flour put into the barrel increased its descending' power, and thereby lessened `the degree of compactness with which the its gravity the downward pull of the chains upon the windingshaft is upon a lessened leverage. In practice the operation of my machine leaves nothing to be desired in the uniformity of the packing.

I claim as my inventionl. In a flour-packer, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a vertically-1novable platform, a winding-shaft, chains extending from the platform and adapted for being wound upon the shaft, a resistance-wheel secured to the winding-shaft and provided with an internal friction-rim, f riction-arcs mounted against rotation within said friction-rim, and mechanism, substantially as set forth, for forcing the periphery of said arcs into frictional engagement with said friction-rims.

2. In a flour-packer, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a vertically-movable platform, a windingshaft, chains connected to said platform and adapted to be wound upon said shaft, a resistanceavheel fixed to said shaft and provided with an internal friction-ri1n, a sleeve upon said winding-shaft Within said friction-rim and provided with radial wings and a lever, and friction-arcs mounted on fixed pivots and disposed within said friction-rim and having toes projecting inwardly into engagement with the wings of said sleeve.

p 3. In a flour-packer, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a vertically-movable platform, a winding-shaft, chains attached to the platform and arranged to wind upon the shaft, a resistance-wheel fixed upon t-he shaft and provided with an internal frictionrim,a sleeve mounted upon said shaft and free of contact therewith and provided With radial Wings'and a lever, and friction-arcs mounted onxed pivots and disposed Within said friction-rim and provided With toes engaging the Wings of said sleeve.

4. In a flour-packer, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a vertically-movable platform, a winding-shaft, chains engaging the platform and shaft, a resistance-Wheel fixed to the shaft and provided with an internal friction-rim, a xed plate disposed near the inner edge of said friction-rim, frictionarcs pivoted to said plate and provided with inwardlyprojecting toes, a friction-sleeve mounted on the shaft and having wings en gaging said toes and having an 'operatinglever, and springs carried by the plate and engaging the friction-arcs and serving to press them inwardly. i

5. In a flour-packer, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a vertically-movable platform, a Winding-shaft, a resistance-wheel fixed to said shaft, friction mechanism operating in conjunction With said resistancewheel and arranged to resist the rotation of the shaft, chains engaging said platform and shaft, and spools upon said shaft to receive the convolutions of the chains and having a Width corresponding to th'e width of the chain, whereby each chain is caused to wind in a single volute coil.

CIIAS. F. VALTERS.

lVitnesses:

L. T. LEMON, HAMLIN T. LEMON. 

